SYRACUSE -- Onondaga County officials have released the cause of death of a man who died at the county jail earlier this month.
According to the Medical Examiner’s Office, 31-year-old Raul Pinet Jr. of Syracuse died as a result of “cocaine-induced excited delirium”. The M.E. says “This is a condition resulting from the use of cocaine in which an individual becomes acutely disoriented and agitated and displays violent behavior and combativeness. This condition is frequently fatal and individuals affected are prone to sudden death because of the effects of cocaine and adrenaline on the heart.”
The M.E. goes on to say that in Pinet’s case, physical restraint in the face down (prone) position and subsequent respiratory compromise contributed to his death.
Pinet had been arrested by Syracuse Police on August 6 for trespassing and resisting arrest. Minutes after arriving at the booking section of the Justice Center, deputies say Pinet lost consciousness. He was taken to Upstate University Hospital by ambulance, and pronounced dead there.
The medical examiner says that post-mortem and toxicology tests were performed on Pinet.
